Chapter 3: Absolute Perfection
Morning light filtered into the cave, yet Mo Yuan did not rise to meet it. He remained seated cross-legged, unchanged from the posture he had held through the night.
Yesterday, the Mirror had confirmed his foundation as Perfect. For any other disciple, such a result would have meant forcing a breakthrough without hesitation.
Yet Mo Yuan remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on the golden script floating within his mind.
[ Reflection: Qi density is 94% of the Heaven-favored standard. ]
To the Azure Mist Sect, 94% was most likely a myth, a level of purity they couldn't even fathom.
But to Mo Yuan, it was simply an unfinished task. He didn't see it as a 94% of qi density, he saw it as 6% of lingering imperfection.
'94% percent was not enough'.
Mo Yuan knew this well.
If he wished to stand at the apex, he could not afford even the smallest flaw.
The ancient records spoke of Heaven-Chosen beings, sons of destiny slumbering through eras, awaiting the rise of a great age.
If such figures truly awakened in his time, then anything less than complete perfection would mean falling behind before the race even began.
If he wished to compete with them, his Qi density had to reach one hundred percent of the Heaven-favored standard, nothing less.
'If such Heaven-Chosen awaken, he thought, 'then I will meet them on equal ground.'.
'The Dao does not favor haste', Mo Yuan thought. 'It responds only to those who walk the path without deviation'.
His choice had already been made.
He would not seek speed, nor shortcuts, nor fortune borrowed from heaven defying pills or encounters.
He would pursue stability, refinement, and completeness.
'If the road was longer, then he would walk it fully. One flawless step was worth more than a hundred taken astray'.
This was the Dao he would walk. No matter how fast the world moved, his steps would not waver.
He heard the morning bell but choose to ignore it. He felt the hunger rising, a reminder of the mortal limits he had to overcome but still ignored it.
He began the cycle again.
He drew the mountain Qi into his lungs, cold and sharp.
He pressed and refined it with his will, forcing it through his meridians.
Each breath felt heavy, like inhaling lead.
By the fourth day, the outer district was alive with excitement.
Distant roars echoed from those who had broken through, and cheers rose from disciples reaching the third and fourth layers of Qi Refinement.
'Let them celebrate', he thought. 'Each step of progress is theirs, but I walk my own path. Patience and perfection matter more than speed'.
As he dwelled in thought, the Mirror's numbers ticked upward:
[ Reflection: Qi density is 97%... 98%... ]
Mo Yuan remained calm. His face showed slight paleness, yet his aura brimmed with life.
Four days in, having eaten enough to sustain himself, every breath and movement refined his Qi with precision.
He did not chase a breakthrough, he chased perfection. Each inhale and each exhale, edged him closer to the absolute.
On the morning of the day before the assessment, the Mirror radiated a light that felt complete and eternal.
[Qi density: 100% of Heaven-favored standard.]
[Foundation: Absolute Perfection.]
[The path is fully aligned with the Great Dao.]
As soon as he saw the Mirror reach 100% of qi density, Mo Yuan finally released the suppression he had held over his cultivation.
Instantly, the barrier between the first and second stage of Qi Refinement vanished.
There was no resistance, no struggle. His foundation was so solid, so absolute, that the next stage opened its doors to him effortlessly.
[ Qi Refinement: Stage Two reached. ]
[ Observation: Foundation stability remains 'Perfect.' ]
A surge of vitality flowed through him, washing away hunger. His senses sharpened painfully, he could hear a beetle tunneling in a tree half a mile away.
'Stage Two…' Mo Yuan thought, closing his eyes and sensing his own strength. 'I haven't sparred with anyone yet, but… my gut tells me I could probably contend with a Stage Five or even Stage Six without too much trouble. This power… it feels solid and undeniable'.
With only twenty-four hours remaining for outer disciple assessment, he did not rush toward the third layer.
Instead, he stood and began to move. He practiced the Basic Azure Mist Palm, the foundational technique given to all entry-level disciples.
To others, it appeared simple and unrefined.
But as Mo Yuan struck, every motion flowed with his Qi at full, 100% density.
Each palm strike fell like a mountain collapsing.
Every movement was flawless, precise, without waste or hesitation.
Every motion, every breath, carried the weight of absolute mastery.
The Night Before the Assessment,
The Azure Mist Sect buzzed with activity. Lanterns glowed across the peaks as thousands of disciples rushed through last-minute drills, swallowing pills and practicing their deadliest techniques.
Mo Yuan remained in his cave, bathed in the silver glow of the moon. He had spent the day repeating the Basic Azure Mist Palm thousands of times, refining every motion until his body moved as flawlessly as his Qi.
A profound stillness settled over him. The turbulence that had troubled him for a week vanished. His Qi became a silent, bottomless lake, calm and unfathomable.
Mo Yuan let out a long, slow breath. By the sect's standards, he was only Stage Two, a low-tier disciple most likely destined for the laundry pits.
Yet as he clenched his fist, the air around his knuckles cracked.
'Tomorrow...', he murmured, eyes on the torches below. 'By tomorrow, they will see my strength'.
He lay on the cold stone, drifting into dreamless sleep. After a week of relentless strain, peace finally came. His Qi continued to circulate quietly, steady and harmonious, a reflection of the Dao within him.